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House panel considers Eisenhower Memorial's future

By BRETT ZONGKER Associated Press

Posted:
03/19/2013 12:16:43 AM MDT

Updated:
03/19/2013 08:31:52 AM MDT

WASHINGTON—The future of a planned memorial honoring President Dwight D. Eisenhower in Washington is up for debate Tuesday in Congress, with lawmakers questioning the project's design and funding as it nears a previously set expiration date.

A House panel is hosting a hearing on the 14-year-old project, which has secured a site for the memorial at the foot of Capitol Hill near the National Air and Space Museum. Planners could lose that space, though, without an extension this year from Congress.

For more than a year, the memorial's design by architect Frank Gehry has been criticized by some for its new approach to memorial architecture and defended by others for its innovative approach.

Gehry has proposed a memorial park for Eisenhower with statues of the president and World War II hero. The park would be framed by large, metal tapestries depicting images of Ike's boyhood home in Kansas. The imagery would be held up by 80-foot-tall columns.

Eisenhower's family has objected to the scale and scope of the design, calling the concept "too extravagant" for Ike's humble origins. Their objections have centered primarily on the large metal tapestries, and they have also questioned how long the tapestries would last.

Gehry has said leaving out the imagery from Kansas would omit an important part of Eisenhower's story because he was so proud to grow up in the heartland.

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Susan Eisenhower, the former president's granddaughter, will testify for the family Tuesday. Retired Brig. Gen. Carl Reddel, the executive director of the federal Eisenhower Memorial Commission, also is scheduled to testify, along with California Rep. Darrell Issa, who has been questioning the project's spending and design process.

A new proposal from Utah Rep. Rob Bishop calls for a new design competition and would block future funding for Gehry's design. Millions of taxpayer dollars have already been spent on the project.

The project's cost is estimated at $142 million and would be paid for with federal funds and private fundraising.

House panel considers Eisenhower Memorial's future

By BRETT ZONGKER Associated Press

Posted:
03/19/2013 12:16:43 AM MDT

Updated:
03/19/2013 08:31:52 AM MDT

WASHINGTON—The future of a planned memorial honoring President Dwight D. Eisenhower in Washington is up for debate Tuesday in Congress, with lawmakers questioning the project's design and funding as it nears a previously set expiration date.

A House panel is hosting a hearing on the 14-year-old project, which has secured a site for the memorial at the foot of Capitol Hill near the National Air and Space Museum. Planners could lose that space, though, without an extension this year from Congress.

For more than a year, the memorial's design by architect Frank Gehry has been criticized by some for its new approach to memorial architecture and defended by others for its innovative approach.

Gehry has proposed a memorial park for Eisenhower with statues of the president and World War II hero. The park would be framed by large, metal tapestries depicting images of Ike's boyhood home in Kansas. The imagery would be held up by 80-foot-tall columns.

Eisenhower's family has objected to the scale and scope of the design, calling the concept "too extravagant" for Ike's humble origins. Their objections have centered primarily on the large metal tapestries, and they have also questioned how long the tapestries would last.

Gehry has said leaving out the imagery from Kansas would omit an important part of Eisenhower's story because he was so proud to grow up in the heartland.

Susan Eisenhower, the former president's granddaughter, will testify for the family Tuesday. Retired Brig. Gen. Carl Reddel, the executive director of the federal Eisenhower Memorial Commission, also is scheduled to testify, along with California Rep. Darrell Issa, who has been questioning the project's spending and design process.

A new proposal from Utah Rep. Rob Bishop calls for a new design competition and would block future funding for Gehry's design. Millions of taxpayer dollars have already been spent on the project.

The project's cost is estimated at $142 million and would be paid for with federal funds and private fundraising.

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